Notherland is a visual and textual documentation of the passing of time in the life of the Creator and Dreamer of what are known as NotherScapes in the realm of the Notherland.

Owing to the nature of the story, Notherland follows a more streamline of consciousness writing style with less emphasis on section breaks and a greater emphasis on seamless transitions from segment to segment.

It is still to be determined how the formatting will be done.

It was more than twenty human years ago when the DreamMaster first encountered him – Him, the youngest human ever to enter the realm of his Notherland and paint a NotherScape more rich, more vibrant, more detailed, and more alive than all of the Dreamers before him.

A mere child compared to all the human adults who had come and gone before him and an infant in contrast to his own timelessness, he made his appearance like a newborn babe awakening to a world for its first time with eyes wide and bright and heart completely open and unafraid.

Brimming with curiosity and wonder, his round liquid quicksilver eyes drank in all the sights there were to see while his small child-sized hands touched everything he saw. From brilliantly green plants to jewel-encrusted rocks to the crystal-clear stream of water to the perfectly-sized-to-fit tire swing, the human flitted and flowed from one object and place to the next, bestowing upon everything a joyous smile of enchantment and spreading appreciation and love with his touch.

After thoroughly examining and investigating the NotherScape that was his very own mind-crafted playground, the child started looking around – casting his eyes about everywhere in a manner that startled the DreamMaster.

Surely someone so young –

With a silent curse, the DreamMaster retreated further into the shadows of the mimosa tree when he heard the human child call out.

“… Hello?” The child took a step towards the mimosa tree, peering around as if looking for something.

Not seeing anything, the human child shrugged and returned his attention to the tire swing that hung in the shade of a mighty oak tree.

As the child Dreamer swung to and fro on the tire swing, the DreamMaster watched from his place in the shadows, eyes that saw everything and nothing flickering with questions and a bemused amusement.

It was impossible to miss the sheer joy and exuberance that radiated from the child at play.

Being that the emotions of the dreamers were what colored their NotherScapes, the sheer vibrance and saturation of the coloring of this particular NotherScape bore undeniable testament to the intensity of this particular child’s happiness. From the leaves on the trees to the jewels on the rocks, everything simply… glowed.

The DreamMaster was both pleased and perplexed and knew not how to reconcile the two contradictory feelings.

Out of all of my projects, InSpir(INK)ed and Notherland are the most personal and the closest to my spirit.

Seeded during a particularly tumultuously trying period in my life, these stories – if I had to be honest – were written for one audience and one audience only in mind – me.

This isn’t to say that I discourage others from sharing in these stories, no.

Rather, unlike the other projects I have put out and will put out in the future for a more public consumption, these works are – in a way the other ones are not – wholly and completely mine in all ways.

No compromises, no censorship, no choices made on behalf of someone/anyone else, and no ‘correct-ness’.

Come as you are… or don’t come at all.